Elijah Le'Gaunt
Lord Elijah Le'Gaunt,' '''formerly known as '''King Francois', was a Duke of Moselle, and patriarch of the Le'Gaunt within the City-State of Ardougne. Born as an Asgarnian prince out of wedlock between Varian Grey and Zara Le'Gaunt, Elijah was raised as a soldier to protect the reign of his younger brother, Varrick. Entrusted as a baron at age fourteen, Elijah's formative years were spent in Asgarnia. Although a bastard, he lived as a prince just as his siblings, though chose to take the Le'Gaunt surname in his adolescent years, as he could not be recognized as a Grey. Life in Asgarnia was spent exploring the boundaries of the kingdom and carrying out tasks for his father. His teenage years eventually ended when he watched his father decapitate Sir Cullen, a boy who was knighted and then executed by Varian for placing the lives of the royal children in danger. Since his departure from Asgarnia and his arrival in Ardougne, Elijah's time was spent enamored by the beauty and power of Queen Iliara. Since boyhood, Elijah held a deep admiration for Iliara and sought to build a reputation for himself by betrothing himself to her. As for Iliara, she was engaged to King Sennis Grey of Camelot for some time. After boldly charming Iliara, Elijah became a court favorite of the Queen and she legitimized him as the heir to House Le'Gaunt, finally giving him recognition since his status as a bastard brought him nothing but shame in Asgarnia. His capacity as the Count of Hangleton (the title of the heir apparent to the Le'Gaunt) was spent quelling an uprising in Moselle and carrying out the duties of Lord Justice. A young man of eighteen, Elijah found himself becoming more and more mature and politically cunning, both of them seemingly inheritable from his father. Desperately proving himself a suitable suitor to the Queen, Elijah helped in bringing down House Aerendyl for treasonous crimes against the city-state, despite his reluctance to taint the reputation of a family he respected. Since proving himself a suitable husband for Iliara, Elijah was given the final task from her to put an end to her own wedding. On the day of the wedding, Elijah objected, not only proclaiming his love to Iliara but revealing she did not love Sennis, to the King's dismay. The sudden tension caused Iliara to run from the church, followed by Elijah. Once outside, he proposed to her on the steps and she accepted. Since it was announced that he was to wed the Queen, Elijah prepared to take on the role as Duke of Moselle. His mother, Zara, finally invested him in this title and he became the patriarch of the Le'Gaunt family. Elijah married Iliara shortly after he proposed to her and the ceremony was presided over by none other than Zaox Le'Gaunt. Afterwards, he became known as King Francois, taking the regal name of a renown ancestor. Since Iliara began to experience a pregnancy, Elijah took on the role as head of state in Ardougne and began enacting a series of reforms that were short-lived since the Ithellénen elves assaulted the city-state. While the government moved north in exile, the Queen fell in labor and gave birth to Aoife Le'Gaunt and Hedrak Dae. Iliara died shortly after childbirth, a moment that changed Elijah's life forever. After losing the kingdom and becoming widowed, Elijah abdicated formally and announced that he would continue to fight in memory of the Crimson Queen. He immediately went south to Moselle and began leading the rebellion from there, occasionally sneaking into East Ardougne from the port. The power of the elves became weakened when Field Marshal Aegidus and Elijah lead a cavalry assault on a heavy skirmish involving the defense of Moselle with the Mosellan forces lead by Zara. The course of the war turned in favor of the city-state's government-in-exile, though it would continue to drag on for several years. With the war finally coming to a close and the elven forces driven from the city-state and back to their realm, Elijah retired himself temporarily to heal from his wounds and mentally recover. Crown Princess Aoife refused the throne of Ardougne, thus making Hedrak the King. Upon his accession, Hedrak took the regal name "Augustus". Elijah finally resurfaced in order to speak with Aoife and Hedrak about consolidating control over the city-state. After his recovery, Elijah began to show signs of a battle-hardened and strengthened man. His determination to recreate prestige for House Le'Gaunt would've been stronger than ever, had his health not declined so slowly. Upon his death a private pyreship funeral was held in his memory and his last will and testament seized by his son Andres. Having taken a squire and nephew named Daros, his will had designated Daros the heir, much to the disapproval of Moselle and Andres himself. After Daros discovered the will, he took over the Le'Gaunt dukedom and later secured the land for his own lordship. Andres was later murdered at the Wizards Tower. Elijah's memory in Moselle is regarded as tainted due to gifting a bastard not from the line of Zaox to serve as patriarch. This character was played by Justin. AppearanceCategory:Ardougne Elijah has dark black hair like his father and streaked hazel eyes in favor of his mother. His hair is usually neat, especially while attending court in Ardougne. When seen outside of his courtly duties, Elijah may appear more relaxed, wearing commoner clothing or even using a guise while traversing the city. While attending court or matters of duty, he would typically be seen wearing expensive cloth such as silks, velvet, and embroidered coats. After becoming the legitimized patriarch of House Le'Gaunt, his wardrobe consists of many different blue and gold style attire, suitable for a man of his position. He occasionally adorns Le'Gaunt artifacts and heirlooms such as the pendant of Zaox, the Le'Gaunt blade, and an amulet acquired during the formation of Baxtorian's empire. His personal light armor for battle is generally a mixture of leather and chainmail, depending on the circumstance of the conflict. Since he's spent the latter of his youth in Ardougne and grown since his arrival, Elijah can wear the Armour of Francois- a renown paladin and blacksmith from the Le'Gaunt family and Elijah's regnal namesake. Although the plates are a bit large for him, he can still manuever in the armor for battle. The armor is mostly donned for ceremonially purposes and would only be worn in the defense of the city-state. Elijah has many household knights at his disposal, but his arsenal of weaponry has it's own armory in Moselle. His most valuable and legendary sword is the Le'Gaunt Blade- which almost always is kept in the Le'Gaunt Arcanum or Manor. Although these possessions maintain significance, Elijah has never hesitated to use them himself. Having preferred melee over magic, unlike his recent predecessors in the family, he also keeps an assortment of spears, battleaxes, daggers, and even orbs for off-hand casting. Personality As for his qualities in determining his character, Elijah walks in a princely stride, having absorbed the demeanor of a soldier. His arms brisk back and forth comfortably in compliance with his shoulders when he walks, giving those who analyze him a clear idea that he is highborn and shrewd. During his early years, Elijah was known to keep to himself, having been a bastard born just before his parents were married. Although he was not cast aside, most nobles of Asgarnia seemed to remind him cruelly of his social standing. Therefore, Elijah kept himself busy hunting, training with the soldiers, or finishing his studies. As a boy, he became fascinated by the history of Kandarin and recall's many stories once told by his father. Because of his studies in economics and his adept knowledge of history, Varian often considered carving a kingdom for Elijah, but the young man disagreed, preferring to find it himself. Elijah's choices are often parallel to Varian's, causing him to reflect on them and try to strain from the mistakes of his father. This is often unavoidable, as he seems to have developed a knack for Varian's ambitions. As he grew older into his adolescent years, Elijah was given the Galwark barony in the Duchy of Anglia, and forced to maintain it's upkeep on his own without the advice of counselors. This was a very troubling lesson for him to learn once the barony fell on hard times during one winter, but nonetheless, Elijah was able to reconstruct the peasant housing with a modest budget, thus keeping them sheltered. This was only the first lesson in managing the barony, which Elijah eventually failed to maintain. His boredom and ambition's made him rambunctious and he was accustomed to fits of anger when pressured with the lives within his fiefdom. As King of Ardougne, Elijah controlled his outbursts and used herbal medicine to keep himself restrained from them. Once he ascended as King Regent, a change overcame him. In a letter to King Sennis of Camelot, he once wrote, "... I will not allow the reputation of Elijah of Asgarnia to blend with the reign of King Francois. The rule of House Le'Gaunt has reshaped me, drove me to the cause of my forefathers and I will live up to the memory of my predecessors to the best of my ability". This indicated his transfer from boyhood to adulthood, firmly cementing his place among the royal court in Ardougne. His bold and romantic love shared with Iliara not only strengthened him, but she provided his only true mental weakness. While Iliara took her leave from court to prepare for fertility, Elijah used his extensive knowledge of Kandarin to curb around the Dae ideals, enough so that he could improve the morale of the city-state. The Elven assault on Ardougne and the rebellion to seize back their territories reshaped Elijah into a hardened, worn out soldier. As he begins to settle for an early retirement, it would seem his life has taken many different sharp turns and the experiences have taken their toll on his time. He prefers to sit in the Le'Gaunt gardens, manage his family's assets, and occasionally attend military formal balls and royal events. __FORCETOC__ Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Humans Category:Le'Gaunt Category:Mage Category:Noble Category:Bastard Category:Royalty Category:Political Figure Category:Military